Achieving success in corporate culture

You go to work every day, happily accept any work that is given to you and do what is required of your job and yet your job seems to be going nowhere. You feel like your hard work is not being recognized. This is a tell tale sign that it’s time you should recalculate your career options.


When you feel like you are being ignored by your employer and are considered an average employee, it can only mean one of the two things: either you’re in fact an average employee or your employer is misfortunate to not recognize a true genius like you.

If you find yourself in a familiar situation then you’re in luck! Here are some tips that you can use to turn the tables and be indispensable.

Take Initiative - Be exceptional

Doing only what is required of your job does not make you an exceptional employee. This is one of the top misunderstood reasons employees feel their employer does not care about them. You are doing nothing special when you are getting by only doing what was given to you; instead it affects you psychologically like you are working as a fast food cashier (your boss gives you an order and you fulfill it).

Why this is a problem: This becomes a serious problem when employees confuse being exceptional with completing work that was given to them by their bosses.

Solution: Instead of waiting for your manager to come to you and give you work, take initiative and ask your manager what else can you do besides your daily activities. Your interest in additional work and enthusiasm in your job will enable your manager to be able to trust you with important tasks and that he or she can depend on you.

Tip: You cannot take initiative at your job unless you love what you do. If you do not like what you do for a living then perhaps it is time for changing careers.

Skills set

Employers won’t decide on new systems based on employees’ skill limitations. Companies have to keep innovating to stay competitive. Employees need to update themselves based on what the employers are moving on to.

Why this is a problem: This becomes a problem when employees take new technology as a threat to their job security and resist change.

Solution: Do not wait for your employer to train you and don’t limit your learning to your work time. Familiarize yourself with the latest technologies during off hours, Google for information and train yourself. Welcome the change at your workplace as a chance to learn something new.

Tip: Keep yourself update to date with the latest skill sets. Don’t consider your employer obligated to give you training. You will lose your importance very quickly if you are only clinging to the primitive skills.

Deadlines

Taking initiative to get more work will do no good if you cannot finish your work on time. Companies value employees who are good with deadlines. Notify your manager or appropriate team leads about any upcoming delay(s) and devise an action plan to make sure you complete your work.

Being late on deadlines can affect your credibility negatively. Your manager will shy away from giving you any time sensitive projects and you will be left with average work.

Be clear and concise

As Einstein once said “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough”; be clear in your statuses and explanations.

Be happy - Follow your passion

Life is too short to make yourself continuously suffer; an unhappy workplace can cause stress and affect your health in a very negative way. If you still feel that your employer is at fault, then it is definitely time to move on.

No one but you can create job security for yourself. Keep learning new skills, have passion for what you do and start being a “get the job done” person and you will see yourself with job stability, the best career options, a solid salary and peace of mind.

Ask for feedback

Some of the best advices I benefited from were from my bosses. Asking for feedback shows your willingness to audit yourself and demonstrate your ability to improve on areas you’re lacking. Talk to your boss and have him or her tell you how is your progress and if there are any areas you are falling short and how can you make improvements.

Bottom Line

The take away from this is to be happy and live doing what we love. Take risks and make your dreams a reality. If your work is your passion, you will feel like your pay is a bonus that comes along with it.

I love Einstein’s quote “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”.